Inference Based Questions - 2 | English for CLAT PDF Download

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
A large cask of wine had been dropped and broken, in the street. The accident had happened in getting it out of a cart; the cask had tumbled out with a run, the hoops had burst, and it lay on the stones just outside the door of the wineshop, shattered like a walnut-shell. All the people within reach had suspended their business, or their idleness, to run to the spot and drink the wine.
The rough, irregular stones of the street, pointing every way, and designed, one might have thought, expressly to lame all living creatures that approached them, had dammed it into little pools; these were surrounded, each by its own jostling group or crowd, according to its size. Some men kneeled down, made scoops of their two hands joined, and sipped, or tried to help women, who bent over their shoulders, to sip, before the wine had all run out between their fingers.
Others, men and women, dipped in the puddles with little mugs of mutilated earthenware, or even with handkerchiefs from women's heads, which were squeezed dry into infants' mouths; others made small mudembankments, to stem the wine as it ran; others, directed by lookers-on up at high windows, darted here and there, to cut off little streams of wine that started away in new directions; others devoted themselves to the sodden and lee-dyed pieces of the cask, licking, and even champing the moister winerotted fragments with eager relish.
There was no drainage to carry off the wine, and not only did it all get taken up, but so much mud got taken up along with it, that there might have been a scavenger in the street, if anybody acquainted with it could have believed in such a miraculous presence. A shrill sound of laughter and of amused voices voices of men, women, and children resounded in the street while this wine game lasted. There was little roughness in the sport, and much playfulness.
There was a special companionship in it, an observable inclination on the part of every one to join some other one, which led, especially among the luckier or lighter-hearted, to frolicsome embraces, drinking of healths, shaking of hands, and even joining of hands and dancing, a dozen together. When the wine was gone, and the places where it had been most abundant were raked into a gridiron-pattern by fingers, these demonstrations ceased, as suddenly as they had broken out.
The man who had left his saw sticking in the firewood he was cutting, set it in motion again; the women who had left on a door-step the little pot of hot ashes, at which she had been trying to soften the pain in her own starved fingers and toes, or in those of her child, returned to it; men with bare arms, matted locks, and cadaverous faces, who had emerged into the winter light from cellars, moved away, to descend again; and a gloom gathered on the scene that appeared more natural to it than sunshine.
Q1: What can be inferred about the street where the wine cask accident occurred?
(a) It was well-maintained with smooth surfaces.
(b) It was in a wealthy, upper-class area.
(c) It was poorly maintained with rough and irregular stones.
(d) It was primarily used for commercial purposes.
Ans: (c)
Sol: The correct answer is C. The text describes the street as having "rough, irregular stones," which suggests poor maintenance. There is no indication of it being in a wealthy area or used for commercial purposes. The description of the stones is meant to convey a sense of neglect and hardship, aligning with the overall dismal atmosphere of the scene.

Q2: The reaction of the people to the spilt wine primarily reflects which aspect of their lives?
(a) Their cultured and refined taste for wine.
(b) Their desperation and poverty.
(c) Their joyous and carefree nature.
(d) Their communal spirit and solidarity.
Ans: (b)
Sol: The correct answer is B. The eagerness of the people to collect wine in any possible way, including using handkerchiefs and making mud embankments, reflects their desperation and possibly their impoverished state. While there are elements of communal spirit and joy, these are overshadowed by the overall sense of urgency and need in their actions.

Q3: Which inference can be drawn about the lifestyle of the people involved in this incident?
(a) They lead comfortable lives with ample resources.
(b) They are accustomed to handling emergencies.
(c) They are struggling for basic necessities.
(d) They are generally wasteful and reckless.
Ans: (c)
Sol: The correct answer is C. The text suggests that the people are struggling for basic necessities. This is inferred from their frantic efforts to collect the spilt wine, a sign of their dire need for resources. The lack of any mention of comfort or wastefulness points towards a life of hardship.

Q4: What does the return to their previous activities after the wine is gone imply about the people?
(a) They were easily distracted from their duties.
(b) They had a deep appreciation for leisure and fun.
(c) They were resilient and adapted quickly to changing situations.
(d) They were indifferent to the consequences of their actions.
Ans: (c)
Sol: The correct answer is C. The quick return to their previous activities suggests resilience and an ability to adapt to changing circumstances. While the incident was a brief diversion, their immediate return to work indicates a practical and survival-oriented mindset, rather than indifference or a tendency to be easily distracted.

Q5: The overall tone of the passage and the description of the people's behavior best indicate what about the setting?
(a) It was a time of celebration and festivity.
(b) It was a period of economic prosperity and wealth.
(c) It was an era of hardship and scarcity.
(d) It was a moment of political upheaval and chaos.
Ans: (c)
Sol: The correct answer is C. The passage conveys a tone of hardship and scarcity. This is evident from the desperate actions of the people to gather wine, the poor state of the street, and the overall gloom that returns once the wine is gone. There is no indication of festivity, economic prosperity, or political chaos in the text. The focus is on the struggle for basic sustenance, suggesting a period of hardship.